Year in Review 2019: Point Roberts Independent Business Council

By Brian Calder

The Point Roberts Independent Business Council (PRIBC) was registered as a Washington state non-profit in January 2019.

In April, we confirmed through county executive Jack Louws during his presentation in Point Roberts that there exists no viable economic development strategy for Point Roberts, admitting a local need to address the future economic well-being of Point Roberts.

The PRIBC notified the Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee (PRCAC) of our intent to request the repeal of Point Roberts Special District 20.72.

We then filed an application to repeal Point Roberts Special District 20.72, which is still pending with Whatcom County Planning and Development Services. We appeared before Whatcom County Council’s committee on finance and administrative services to address “issues of governance and economic well-being.”

We asked council to revise Ordinance 2010-008 to establish the PRCAC as a lawfully elected body, and accountable for their actions.

The PRIBC received its IRS determination as a tax-exempt private foundation.

We hosted an economics and governance debate at the Point Roberts fire hall, which included both county executive and county council district 5 candidates.

We have commissioned the WWU Center for Economics and Business Research to provide economic data analysis for the forthcoming 2020 Point Roberts comprehensive economic report (2020PRCER), which includes analysis from the Port of Bellingham’s economic development team on the economic impacts of existing Point Roberts governance practices.

The PRIBC is the only Point Roberts-based organization since 1990 to urge county council to comprehensively review and update the Point Roberts sub-area plan.

With a six-member board of directors, and a diverse membership roster of over 50 Point Roberts business and property owners, the PRIBC has initiated the non-partisan Point Roberts Vision 2020 project (PRVision2020). Website: pointrobertsvision2020.org. PRVision2020 is a county-wide collaborative effort to establish accountable governance and a future of economic well-being in Point Roberts. Twitter: @PRVision2020

Please visit us at pribc.org, subscribe to our newsletter, read our blog, follow the links, make a donation, do your homework, attend community meetings and ... become a PRIBC member.

(Ed. Note: Neither Dollars for Scholars or PRIBC received emails or invitations in sufficient time to be able to appear in our January issue published last month.)